Tohu - SAUVIGNON BLANC - Awatere Valley (Single Vineyard)

Tasting Notes

Sourced entirely from vineyards located in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, this wine is a bright luminous pale golden green in the glass. On the nose tropical fruit, currant-leaf and herbal notes lead to a concentrated palate of ripe pineapple, pink grapefruit, and citrus zest; creating a vibrant wine with freshness and length.

Winemaking

Select blocks from around the Awatere Valley are harvested using modern machine harvesters allowing ultimate extraction of flavour and aroma compounds from the skins of the grapes. Once at the winery the grapes are pressed into stainless steel tanks for cold settling, before being gently racked and inoculated with select yeasts chosen to naturally enhance the aromatic and flavour profiles of the wine. Fermentation is carried out at cool temperatures allowing the wine to retain its bright aromas; with each batch fermentation typically lasting around 21 days. After fermentation is complete the wines are left to settle on their yeast lees for a short period before being racked again into stainless steel tanks for maturation. Meticulous classification of each batch results in a final blend that truly captures the exceptional characteristics of the vineyards. Once blended the resulting wine is stabilized and filtered – without the need for fining, ready for bottling in mid-July 2018.

Viticulture

Grapes from this wine are sourced from blocks located in the upper, mid, and lower areas of the stunning Awatere Valley. The 2017/2018 growing season in the Awatere began with near perfect flowering conditions in December. January brought some of the warmest average temperatures on record, followed by a very wet February with over 180mm falling during the month - providing challenges for the vineyard team. Vigilance in the vineyard including rigorous canopy management and fruit thinning was carried out – ensuring ripe clean fruit for harvest. The early warm temperatures brought harvest forward around two weeks earlier than average with the first of the Sauvignon Blanc arriving at the winery on the 20th of March; with all grapes being harvested by the 13th April.

Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 it is an offence: to supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years (penalty exceeds $8,000) or a person under the age of 18 years to purchase or receive liquor (penalty exceeds $500)